Midland Pallet Trucks Comments on The Growing Demand for Warehouse Space in the UK

The rise in online shopping since the pandemic has created a significant surge in demand for warehouse space across the UK, exacerbating existing issues in Government planning policy. In a recent report published by the British Property Federation (“BPF”) and Savills [1], new data has highlighted how policymakers have underestimated warehousing demand for the past decade.

Demand is set to reach 29% higher than previous levels, with the impacts of this growth already being felt industry-wide claim Midland Pallet Trucks, a supplier of high quality manual handling equipment like pallet trucks, manual stacker trucks and lift tables.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director of Midland Pallet Trucks says, “The warehouse industry is critical to the infrastructure of our country, and as the HGV driver shortage and supply chain issues became serious in the past year, more people are realising just how important an effective logistics network is to our daily lives.”

National planning policy over the past few years has prioritized the development of new housing, which has restricted the amount of space made available for crucial warehousing facilities. The country now finds itself in a position where existing warehouse space is not equipped to deal with the number of online orders, that will only continue to increase throughout 2022.

While warehouse owners wait for policymakers to play catch up and prioritize the logistics sector in future plans, Midland Pallet Trucks suggests that effective warehouse management is a short-term solution to the growing pressure put on the industry.

As Phil Chesworth explains, “New warehousing space will not be allocated any time soon, so it’s become more important than ever for warehouse managers to make the most of what they’ve got.

By using the right manual handling equipment, implementing effective inventory management systems, and making use of the range tools and technology out there, the sector can keep orders moving through the logistics network smoothly. This isn’t a long-term solution for the growing demand for warehouse space but is the only way I can see to ease the current pressures.”

To find out more about the wide range of lift equipment available from Midland Pallet Trucks, visit https://www.midlandpallettrucks.com/

References

[1] BPF and Savills (2022), Levelling Up – The Logic of Logistics.